Welcome to Bimmerfest -- The #1 Online Community for BMW related information! Please enjoy the discussion forums below and share your experiences with the 200,000 current, new and past BMW owners. The forums are broken out by car model and into other special interest sections such as BMW European Delivery and a special forum to voice your questions to the many BMW dealers on the site to assist our members!

E39 (1997 - 2003) The BMW 5-Series (E39 chassis) was introduced in the United States as a 1997 model year car and lasted until the 2004 when the E60 chassis was released. The United States saw several variations including the 525i, 528i, 530i and 540i. -- View the E39 Wiki

I took my '98 528i to a new mechanic to do a thorough once over. He hooked it up to the diagnostic port, all checked out well. Put it up on his rack and took me out to show me what needed to be replaced. New pads, rotors and brake sensors and a new water pump. But he told me my steering rack needed to be replaced. Even showed me where it was leaking from the joints while up on the lift. I'm not saying I don't trust him because I was referred by a close, mutual friend of his, but having the rack replaced!? And I know the car is 13 years old but I only have 66k miles on it. I just want to see if this is common, or if I should maybe get a second opinion. Any and all help/ advice is greatly appreciated!

This thread will help you choose the most often recommended brand & type of water pump:
- What brand of waterpump to buy (1)

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpritzUSMC

steering rack needed to be replaced

This thread 'might' help you debug the steering rack yourself:
- How to debug power steering problems like hard steering due to the steering rack and/or pump (1)

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpritzUSMC

or if I should maybe get a second opinion

Second opinions are always good.

Do your homework first on prices for the job, for the part, and good shops in your area:
- BMWfans phantom diagrams (1) & realoem nominal prices by part number (1) & EACTuning prices by part number (1) labor rates by zip code (1) (2) (3) where to find a good mechanic (1) (2) joining BMWCCA (1) (2) & finding a reputable BMW indy in your area (1) (2) & the most often recommended parts suppliers (1)

Note to the OP:
All these links came from a simple /keyword(F3) in the first thread in this forum, the best of E39 links.
Your duty is to read the referenced links, and, if they do NOT answer your question, ask here or in those links; this isn't as much for you (since you're only one person) as it is for the hundreds of others who follow you with the same questions.

If your steering effort isn't heavy, you could probably continue to drive for quite a while, as long as you make sure your power steering fluid is topped up. You might just keep tabs on how bad the leak is. If it's leaking from the seals on the rack, it will eventually need to be rebuilt or replaced, but it's not urgent until you find yourself having to add a lot of fluid to keep the reservoir full. If the steering effort increases, you need to bite the bullet and replace the rack.

It is a very common problem for the rack to leak fluid. The seals where the inner tie rods screw on to shrink or tear and let fluid seep through. The rack itself does not go bad, just the seals go bad. Keep your eyes open for a rebuilt rack with the updated seals. When you change it, go ahead and replace the inner and outer tie rods, it will improve your ride quality greatly.

I have posted on another thread about my steering rack problem. I finally had it replaced, leak is gone but now I am getting an audible thump when I am moving at low speeds and turning the wheel. It happens every time I back out of the garage and other times when I am turning at low speeds. The car seems to drive fine though I get a little shake in the steering wheel from time to time which it didn't have prior to the rack being installed. The guy is only giving a 1 year warranty on the rack and I see most of the rebuilds have 3 years so I am a little suspicious.